Dutch consumers’ body, KLM, support new cabin luggage plan

The Dutch consumers’ association Consumentenbond and flag carrier KLM support the introduction of a new standard size for airplane hand luggage, Nos reports.

The international airline association IATA on Wednesday said it wanted to end the differences between airlines by bringing in a standard size of 55x35x20 centimetres.

The aim is also to reduce disputes with passengers, IATA says. Passenger luggage has grown in size as airlines introduce extra fees to put bags in the hold.

A spokesman for the Consumentenbond said the decision is to be welcomed. ‘Now passengers will know where they are,’ he said. ‘Not everyone checks first on the airline website.’

Standard

The 55-centimetre length is already standard among Dutch airlines such as KLM, Transavia, ArkeFly and Corendon as well as budget companies such as Ryanair.

The width, however, differs more widely between airlines and the depth of the case is also smaller than the current size approved by all but Ryanair, Nos says.

A spokesman for KLM acknowledged that passengers can carry less using an IATA-approved case but that it supports standardisation.

Ryanair and Easyjet are not IATA members and will still be able to set their own sizes.